Hangzhou to crack down on irresponsible dog owners

East China's Hangzhou plans to discipline unruly dog owners starting next week after one dog raiser stirred public outrage by beating a mother in front of her two young kids.

The city's urban administration authorities said on Thursday it will launch a campaign targeting bad habits in dog raising, such as walking dogs without a leash and unlicensed ownership, from Nov 15 to the end of this year.

According to the city's regulations, dog owners cannot walk their dogs in daytime (7:00 am to 7:00 pm), dog excrement must be promptly removed and entering public spaces such as markets, parks and green spaces with dogs is forbidden.

Violators of the rules could face fines from 200 to 400 yuan. Serious violations such as injury caused by a dog might lead to confiscation or the dog-keeping license to be revoked.

Unlicensed pet dogs could be confiscated - or killed in extreme cases - and their owners fined up to 5,000 yuan, according to the urban administration authorities.

The announcement came after a dog owner attacked a mother in front of her two children on Saturday after the woman kicked the man's dog while trying to protect her two sons.

The woman suffered a fractured finger as a result and Jin was detained by the police on charges of picking quarrels and provoking troubles.